Ansons Voyage Round the World | Page 9

Orellana and his people. On this Pizarro and the officers resolved to
attack them on the quarter-deck, before any of the discontented on

board should so far recover their first surprise as to reflect on the
facility and certainty of seizing the ship by a junction with the Indians
in the present emergency. With this view Pizarro got together what
arms were in the cabin, and distributed them to those who were with
him; but there were no other firearms to be met with but pistols, and for
these they had neither powder nor ball. However, having now settled a
correspondence with the gun room, they lowered down a bucket out of
the cabin window, into which the gunner, out of one of the gun-room
ports, put a quantity of pistol cartridges. When they had thus procured
ammunition, and had loaded their pistols, they set the cabin door partly
open, and fired some shot amongst the Indians on the quarter-deck, at
first without effect. But at last Mindinuetta had the good fortune to
shoot Orellana dead on the spot; on which his faithful companions,
abandoning all thoughts of further resistance, instantly leaped into the
sea, where they every man perished. Thus was this insurrection quelled,
and the possession of the quarter-deck regained, after it had been full
two hours in the power of this great and daring chief and his gallant and
unhappy countrymen.
Pizarro, having escaped this imminent peril, steered for Europe, and
arrived safe on the coast of Galicia* in the beginning of the year 1746,
after having been absent between four and five years.
(*Note. Galicia is the north-western province of Spain.)
CHAPTER 3.
FROM MADEIRA TO ST. CATHERINE'S--UNHEALTHINESS OF
THE SQUADRON.
On the 3rd of November we weighed from Madeira.
On the 20th the captains of the squadron represented to the
Commodore that their ships' companies were very sickly, and that it
was their own opinion as well as their surgeons' that it would tend to
the preservation of the men to let in more air between decks; but that
their ships were so deep they could not possibly open their lower ports.
On this representation the Commodore ordered six air-scuttles to be cut

in each ship, in such places where they would least weaken it.
We crossed the Equinoctial, with a fine fresh gale at south-east on
Friday, the 28th of November, at four in the morning, being then in the
longitude of 27 degrees 59 minutes west from London.
On the 12th of December we spoke with a Portuguese brigantine from
Rio de Janeiro, who informed us that we were sixty-four leagues from
Cape St. Thomas, and forty leagues from Cape Frio.
DISEASE.
We now began to grow impatient for a sight of land, both for the
recovery of our sick and for the refreshment and security of those who
as yet continued healthier. When we departed from St. Helens, we were
in so good a condition that we lost but two men on board the Centurion
in our long passage to Madeira. But in this present run between
Madeira and St. Catherine's we had been very sickly, so that many died,
and great numbers were confined to their hammocks, both in our own
ship and in the rest of the squadron; and several of these past all hopes
of recovery. By our continuance at sea all our complaints were every
day increasin, so that it was with great joy that we discovered the coast
of Brazil on the 18th of December, at seven in the morning.
We moored at the island of St. Catherine's on Sunday, the 21st of
December, the whole squadron being sickly and in great want of
refreshments: both which inconveniences we hoped to have soon
removed at this settlement, celebrated by former navigators for its
healthiness and its provisions, and for the freedom, indulgence, and
friendly assistance there given to the ships of all European nations in
amity with the Crown of Portugal.
Our first care, after having moored our ships, was to send our sick men
on shore. We sent about eighty sick from the Centurion, and the other
ships I believe, sent nearly as many in proportion to the number of their
hands. As soon as we had performed this necessary duty, we scraped
our decks, and gave our ship a thorough cleansing; then smoked it
between decks, and after all washed every part well with vinegar. Our

next employment was wooding and watering our squadron, caulking
our ships' sides and decks, overhauling our rigging, and securing our
masts against the tempestuous weather we were, in all probability, to
meet with in our passage round Cape Horn in so advanced and
inconvenient a season.
In order to render the ships stiffer, and to enable them to carry more sail
abroad,